Zack is a writer and documentary filmmaker based in Ridgewood, Queens. He’s spent much of the past decade in Brooklyn making shorts, web series, branded docs, and a feature film. He also hosts interactive performance art around the city and publishes a bi-monthly zine about dreams.
Zack Young
Latest Articles
2 weeks ago
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As LED lights continue to get smaller, lighter, cheaper, and more powerful, video creators who previously would've relied on natural light and 5-in-1 bounces are suddenly able to create dynamic, layered imagery that aids their story and takes their craft to the next level. One of the innovators in this space has certainly been…
2 weeks ago
This holiday season, if you’re looking to gift the special photographer in your life something thoughtful and unique, not tacky or cliché (looking at you, lens-shaped coffee mug), then you’ve come to the right place. We’ve put together a list of some of our favorite unconventional but essential (or at the very least useful) gifts for photographers.
Photo Gifts Under $100
Ruggard 19 x 19" Padded…
3 weeks ago
Every filmmaker in your life probably has a few basic wants—a million dollars to spend on their next project, a genius script idea that will send studio executives into a frenzy, and a special potion that will do away with the need for food, water, and sleep for as long as it takes to finish up an edit. If you can’t provide any of those, you can at least give them a gift that won’t sit on the…
1 month ago
High-volume photography work is a cornerstone of the professional photo ecosystem that rarely gets its time in the spotlight. Headshots for schools, teams, clubs, etc. is an area where enterprising photographers find huge growth opportunities. To assist in these assignments, Canon has announced a firmware upgrade for their…
1 month ago
So, your spouse has elected you official photographer of the family holiday party! Or maybe your boss volunteered you to shoot the office party? Or your kids put your name in the running as school party cameraperson. Regardless of the type of party you’ve been assigned (or volunteered) to photograph, here are some…
1 month ago
Cameras and lenses can be stowed away in a backpack, a sling, or even a fanny pack. But what about tripods and monopods? Those get a bit more complicated to haul around. Yet even the most steady-handed among us can attest to their usefulness in a ton of shooting situations, especially when…
1 month ago
You sit down with your cinematographer to prep for an upcoming shoot and they pitch you the idea of using vintage glass: “Wait until you see the character, the bokeh, the highlight falloff!” Sounds good to you, right? So, you pull out your laptop, click over to your favorite camera equipment rental site, pull up the catalog of vintage lenses, and, upon glimpsing the average cost of a Canon FD…
1 month ago
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that any creative person or artist-type, must regularly use an Apple device (or wonders if they should). iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks—they've all become ubiquitous over the last couple of decades, especially among artists. But are any of these devices truly useful for…
1 month ago
The best smartphone gimbal stabilizers help facilitate perfectly smooth whips, pans, and tilts, allowing you to capture steady, shake-free footage every time. Smartphone gimbals have exploded in popularity over the last decade, with countless new models arriving every year. Here are some of our…
1 month ago
If you're a filmmaker who's constantly on the go, cranking out edits from hotel rooms and airports, you should probably get a Macbook Pro. If you're a filmmaker who mostly doesn't do their own editing and is mainly using a computer for writing, pre-production, and reviewing cuts, you can likely get away with using a…
1 month ago
It’s an exciting time to be lighting for video, as LED fixtures continue to get smaller, more powerful, and more affordable. The kind of dramatic, punchy lighting that used to only exist on Hollywood sets is now available for just about anyone with a camera and a dream. But these advancements can also lead to…
1 month ago
Young filmmakers often obsess over hot new cameras and lenses, but longtime imagemakers know that lighting is often the cause of the real visual magic. Great lighting can transform drab compositions into all-time classics, and building out your lighting toolkit is an essential step in being able to create…
2 months ago
Macro photography is one of the best ways to see the world in a new light. Give it a try and you might suddenly be pulling your camera out at the very mention of an insect, rare coin, or fuzzy speck of dust. But what are the best gifts to get the macro photography enthusiast in your life?
TTArtisan 40mm f/2.8 Macro Lens…
2 months ago
2024 was a big year for video, as professional-level tools continued to become more accessible for aspiring filmmakers and creatives. Cinema cameras that cost less than ten grand can now compete with those that go for six figures. This opening up of the camera ecosystem means consumers have an increased power…